Chapter 22: Securing the Campsite

About ten minutes later, Qian Lin parked his car in front of a cluster of abandoned houses. Most of the humans here had already evacuated, taking everything they could carry; what remained were merely items that were either impossible to move or of no real value.

It was the height of summer, and to be honest, it was quite sweltering. With the car's air conditioning, he hadn't felt it much, but stepping out now, he felt as if he were melting. To make matters worse, his Swablu loved to perch on top of his head like a hat, and the fuzzy sensation only added to the heat.

Still, it was bearable, if only just.

After turning off the engine, Qian Lin surveyed the scattered, dilapidated houses and remarked, "I won't be going inside those. I’m not in need of any supplies. The priority now is to find a suitable spot to camp—nothing fancy, just somewhere cool and near a water source."

He had water and food in the car. The food was sufficient to last him half a month, but his water supply was a bit tight, given that he needed it for both cooking and drinking. He hoped to find a well or something similar nearby.

Rural roads were generally in poor condition, and since this area had been abandoned before road construction was completed, the terrain was quite primitive—mostly muddy paths, with the occasional stretch reinforced by gravel. While his car could handle it, the ride wouldn't be comfortable. He decided it would be better to find a campsite on foot first and then return to drive the vehicle over.

On his way, he spotted several Pokémon and spent the journey explaining them to his audience. However, perhaps because humans had previously attempted to reclaim these abandoned villages, most of the Pokémon here had encountered unfriendly individuals and chose to flee the moment they saw him, leaving him with no chance to bribe them.

After circling the village for about half an hour, Qian Lin stopped beside a small grove.

The other side of the grove connected to a large mountain. The trees were sparse, the ground was relatively clear of weeds, and he could even see some abandoned hammocks, suggesting that many people had once come here to enjoy the shade. Nearby was a large open-air well filled with water, surrounded by a fence and a warning sign that read: "Drinking water. Do not wash clothes or swim here." However, having seen water pipes near the houses earlier, he suspected the facility had been out of use for a long time.

Above the well was a tiny stream—so narrow that an adult could step over it with ease. The water was crystalline; he even watched a Magikarp swimming upstream against the current.

"This is the place," Qian Lin said, nodding toward the well. "Even if the well water isn't necessarily potable, it should be fine for daily tasks. If I truly run out of drinking water, I can follow the stream further up."

As everyone knows, running water is safe once boiled. Besides, it was only for half a month; the worst that could happen was an upset stomach. He wasn't here for extreme survival; he could always drive back to the town to buy medicine, or at the very least, return to restock his water supply.

Once the decision was made, Qian Lin didn't dawdle. He retrieved his car and brought it to the site. Instead of rushing to set up the tent, he took out his portable gas canister and stove, cleared a patch of ground, and began boiling water for lunch.

"Whoa, the streamer has upgraded his gear! Last time he only had a magnesium rod and flint, and now he’s using a stove."

"That’s nothing; he was taking a taxi last time, and now he’s driving his own car."

"I’m just surprised he managed to pull a gas canister out of nowhere."

"That’s nothing compared to his backpack. That thing is truly a bottomless pit."

"Didn't he pull the Swablu out of that backpack, too?"

"And the tent, the instant noodles, the fruit, the fishing rod..."

"Really? All that from one backpack? Is it a four-dimensional pocket?"

"Doraemon, is that you? I get it."

"Wait, why is the streamer cooking again? He did this last time. Can't you introduce the Pokémon to us first?"

"There are Pokémon all over the mountains, and all he’s doing is making lunch."

Qian Lin glanced at the chat and chuckled. "Don't be impatient. Food is the foundation of life, and hunger is a poor companion. I’ll definitely introduce the Pokémon to you all, but let me have my lunch first. This afternoon, I’ll be actively trying to interact with them."

Despite his words, he felt a bit doubtful. Given the attitude of the local Pokémon, they were difficult to approach, usually fleeing on sight. He would need to come up with a better plan.

After finishing his luxurious lobster-flavored ramen, Qian Lin took out a specially prepared nutritional meal for the Swablu. It was a formula designed to cater to its taste while providing all the essential nutrients for a young bird, both delicious and healthy. Vacuum-packed and easy to heat with water, he had a large box containing dozens of different flavors in the back—more than enough for the next two weeks.

Of course, he didn't feed it only that; he occasionally gave it fruit. Now that he could exchange for Apricorns, he would provide those as well, though he lacked the culinary skills to turn them into proper Pokémon-world dishes.

Lunch passed quickly. Since he only had one bowl of noodles, most of the time was spent waiting for the Swablu to finish. Seizing the moment, he pointed the camera at the eating bird.

Those who had initially clamored for him to go find new Pokémon instantly changed their tune. The chat was flooded with "Baby, eat slowly," "Swablu is so cute!", and "I want to watch the ASMR eating show," adamantly refusing to let him move the camera. Only when the Swablu finally finished did the viewers begrudgingly admit that he had done a good job and should do it again next time.

Qian Lin laughed affectionately. After cleaning up their bowls, he turned back to the camera. "I’ll set up the tent when I get back tonight. Let’s head out now to find some Pokémon."

"Who are you? Where’s the streamer?"

"Everyone knows the real streamer is the Swablu. Hey buddy, please don't block our host, thanks."

"Yay! To the mountains!"

"We’ve already been up the mountain once; let’s try somewhere else this time."

"I saw a lot of Pokémon in the direction the streamer came from earlier. Why not go back and check?"

"I agree."

"+1."

Qian Lin laughed. "We aren't going to the mountains. Today’s stream will focus on the area around this village. We'll head east first; there’s an orchard planted by the villagers. I caught a glimpse of it from afar earlier, and it looked quite large. That’s our destination for today."

"An orchard? What are you planning, streamer?"

"Damn, my family grows pears, and people pass by every day and steal them. It makes me want to put up an electric fence."

"People who steal fruit are truly classless."

"This place is abandoned, so it shouldn't count as stealing if he picks some, right?"

"We aren't talking about the streamer, but those classless people. Given the situation, it wouldn't matter if the streamer picked the whole thing."